In the manufacture of integrated circuit devices, silicon wafers are processed and separated into individual integrated circuit die. These die then are interconnected in circuit packages to ultimately form integrated circuit chip packages or modules, used in various products such as computers, printers, and other electronic devices. Integrated circuit devices typically are tested after manufacture and assembly into the integrated circuit modules. Considerable manufacturing expense, however, already has occurred by the time the finished product is made. If, during testing and burn-in of the finished integrated circuit package, a failure is discovered on the die which constitutes the heart of the integrated circuit module, the entire module generally must be scrapped. If the failure of the module is the result of an electrical failure in the die itself, the extra expense required in the circuit interconnections and packaging, which are necessary to manufacture a completed integrated circuit module, could be avoided if the defects in the integrated circuit die could be detected prior to such additional manufacturing steps.
Because integrated circuit chip die are small and relatively fragile, effecting burn-in operation of the die prior to assembly into an integrated circuit module, has not been feasible in the past. The problem is compounded when a completed integrated circuit chip module is made up of multiple die, any of which inherently may have defects which typically are not detected until the completed module has been manufactured.
It is desirable to provide apparatus and a method for effecting burn-in and testing of integrated circuit die while they still are loose, that is before such die are fabricated into an integrated circuit chip module.